The Bloggy Bit
Deep down inside, my more spiritually mature self, is grateful for autism. I am grateful for my growth. I am grateful for it highlighting all of my weaknesses and limitations. I am grateful for it smashing those threads of perfectionism that were still whispering in my ear. Has it been fun? Ha! Absolutely not! Do I wish there were an easier way? Only five hundred thirty-two thousand times a day. But, here’s my list of what autism has done for me:
I know that some days, maybe most days, you feel ill-equipped to parent any child, let alone a higher needs child. I know that some days, maybe most days, you feel drained, battered, bruised and you fear how closely you’ve come to completely losing it with your children because of this. I know that your brain whispers fallacies and the gut-wrenching lie that you are an awful parent.
I found myself in a quandary. Wanting to promote interest-led, free-form, relaxed learning, while simultaneously wanting to assist my son to regulate the stress he feels when formal learning is expected and wanting to prepare my son for possible entry into an education system that isn’t so interest-led or free-form.
No matter your traditions, or lack thereof, the holiday season can be emotional. And for many of our gifted kids and youth, whose emotional lives are often deep and complex, the holidays can be even more emotionally chaotic than the rest of the year. Here are a few suggestions to help guide your child through the ups and downs of the holidays.
I know my family and friends are there and would do anything to help, but I didn’t even know what would be helpful to ask for. And until my friend intuitively showed me, I couldn’t put words to what I needed. So, lets use Rachel’s beautiful examples to highlight what we, as fringy parents, would find helpful in the midst of a meltdown.
